Child restraint spin lock and a safety seat having the same

ABSTRACT

A child restraint spin lock is adapted to be installed in a safety seat that includes a base member and a mid base being rotatable relative to the base member about an axis. The child restraint spin lock includes two locking components and a pivot component. The locking components are adapted to be co-rotatably connected to the mid base, are spaced apart from each other, and are adapted to be movable relative to the base member between a locked position and an unlocked position. The pivot component is adapted to be rotatable relative to the mid base about the axis, and is pivotally connected between the locking components such that movements of the locking components are synchronized by rotation of the pivot component.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/947,239, filed on Dec. 12, 2019.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a child safety seat, and more particularly to a child restraint spin lock for use with a safety seat of a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Many conventional child restraint systems in the market come with child's seats that are rotatable while being installed in a vehicle for enhanced functionality. Such conventional child restraint systems usually include spin lock mechanisms to position the seats in a rear facing position or a forward facing position. However, the spin lock mechanisms used in the conventional child restraint systems have been found to be overly complex and may lack adequate spin lock retention in the event of a vehicle crash.

SUMMARY

Therefore, the object of the disclosure is to provide a child restraint spin lock and a safety seat having the same that allow for ease of use, and that provide improved retention in the event of a vehicle crash.

According to one aspect of the disclosure, a child restraint spin lock is adapted to be installed in a safety seat of a vehicle. The safety seat includes a base member that has two lock sections being spaced apart from each other, and a mid base that is mounted to the base member and that is rotatable relative to the base member about an axis.

The child restraint spin lock includes two locking components and a pivot component.

The locking components are adapted to be co-rotatably connected to the mid base, and are spaced apart from each other. Each of the locking components has a first end portion and a second end portion that are respectively proximate to and distal from the axis. Each of the locking components is adapted to be movable relative to the base member between a locked position, where the second end portion of each of the locking components is adapted to be engaged with a respective one of the lock sections of the base member such that the mid base is not allowed to rotate relative to the base member, and an unlocked position, where the second end portion of each of the locking components is adapted to be disengaged from the respective one of the lock sections of the base member.

The pivot component is adapted to be connected to the mid base, is rotatable relative to the mid base about the axis, and has two end segments. Each of the end segments is pivotally connected to the first end portion of a respective one of the locking components such that movements of the locking components from the locked position to the unlocked position are synchronized by rotation of the pivot component about the axis.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a safety seat includes a seat unit and the child restraint spin lock mentioned above.

The seat unit includes a base member, a mid base and a seat member. The base member has two first lock sections that are spaced apart from each other. The mid base is mounted to the base member and is rotatable relative to the base member about an axis. The seat member is mounted atop the mid base and is co-rotatable with the mid base about the axis. The above-mentioned child restraint spin lock is installed in the seat unit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a safety seat according to the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a mid base and a base member of the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cutaway perspective view of the embodiment, illustrating two locking components of a child restraint spin lock at a locked position;

FIG. 4 is another fragmentary cutaway view of the embodiment, illustrating the locking components of the child restraint spin lock at an unlocked position; and

FIG. 5 is another fragmentary cutaway perspective view of the embodiment, illustrating the locking components of the child restraint spin lock at the locked position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 , an embodiment of a safety seat of a vehicle (not shown) includes a child restraint spin lock 1 and a seat unit 2. The seat unit 2 includes a base member 21, a mid base 22 and a seat member 23.

The mid base 22 is mounted to the base member 21, and is rotatable relative to the base member 21 about an axis (X). The base member 21 has two first lock sections 211 (see FIG. 5 ) that are spaced apart from each other, and two second lock sections 211′ that are spaced apart from each other. In this embodiment, the first lock sections 211 are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the axis (X), the second lock sections 211′ are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the axis (X), and the first and second lock sections 211, 211′ are alternately arranged. That is, the first lock sections 211 (or second lock sections 211′) define an angle of 180 degrees with the axis (X) serving as the vertex of the angle. In the present embodiment, the first and second lock sections 211, 211′ are configured as slots.

It should be noted that, the first and second lock sections 211, 211′ are not limited to the above configurations. For example, in another embodiment of the disclosure, the first or second lock sections 211, 211′ may be disposed in a manner that they define an angle of 90 degrees.

The seat member 23 is mounted atop the mid base 22, is co-rotatable with the mid base 22 about the axis (X), and includes an operating component 231 that is exposed to the external environment, and that serves as a manual actuator for the child restraint spin lock 1. It should be noted that, the operating component 231 is not limited to the present configuration. For example, in other embodiments of the disclosure, the operating component 231 may be mounted to the base member 21 instead of the seat member 23.

Referring further to FIGS. 4 and 5 , the child restraint spin lock 1 is installed in the seat unit 2 between the base member 21 and the mid base 22 of the seat unit 2, and includes two locking components 11, a pivot component 12, two resilient members 13, a linking member 14 and a connecting pin 15.

The locking components 11 of the child restraint spin lock 1 are co-rotatably connected to the mid base 22, are spaced apart from each other. In this embodiment, the locking components 11 are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the axis (X).

Each of the locking components 11 has a first end portion 111 and a second end portion 112 that are respectively proximate to and distal from the axis (X), and is movable relative to the base member 21 between a locked position (see FIG. 3 ) and an unlocked position (see FIG. 4 ). It should be noted that, FIGS. 3 and 4 only show the locked and unlocked positions of the locking components 11 with respect to the first lock sections 211 of the base member 21; the locked and unlocked positions with respect to the second lock sections 211′ are not shown in the figures but can be inferred therefrom.

When each of the locking components 11 is at the locked position, the second end portion 112 of each of the locking components 11 is engaged with (i.e. received in) a respective one of the first lock sections 211 of the base member 21, such that the mid base 22 is not allowed to rotate relative to the base member 21.

Conversely, when each of the locking components 11 is at the unlocked position, the second end portion 112 of each of the locking components 11 is disengaged from the respective one of the first lock sections 211 of the base member 21 so that the mid base 22 can be rotated relative to the base member 21, thereby driving rotation of the seat member 23.

It should be noted that, when the locking components 11 are engaged with the first lock sections 211 of the base member 21 as shown in FIG. 3 , the seat member 23 is secured at, for example, a forward facing position (see FIG. 1 ). And since the first lock sections 211 are disposed on opposite sides of the axis (X) in the present embodiment, when the locking components 11 are operated to the unlocked position and the seat member 23 is rotated to a rear facing position (not shown) that is 180 degrees from the forward facing position, the locking components 11 will still be engageable with the first lock sections 211 of the base member 21 to secure the seat member 23 at the rear facing position.

Similarly, since the second lock sections 211′ are disposed on opposite sides of the axis (X) in the present embodiment, when the locking components 11 are engaged with the second lock sections 211′ of the base member 21, the seat member 23 is at one of two intermediate positions (not shown) which are 180 degrees different from each other.

It should also be noted that, the locking components 11 are not limited to be disposed on opposite sides of the axis (X). For example, in another embodiment of the disclosure, the locking components 11 may be perpendicular to each other and be arranged in an L-shape, and as mentioned above, the first lock sections 211 (or the second lock sections 211′) may be configured in a manner that they define an angle of 90 degrees, such that they can be engaged respectively with the locking components 11 arranged in an L-shape.

The pivot component 12 is connected to the mid base 22, is rotatable relative to the mid base 22 about the axis (X), and has two end segments 121. In the present embodiment, the end segments 121 of the pivot component 12 are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the axis (X), but are not limited thereto.

Each of the end segments 121 is pivotally connected to the first end portion 111 of a respective one of the locking components 11 such that movements of the locking components 11 from the locked position to the unlocked position are synchronized by rotation of the pivot component 12 about the axis (X).

As shown in FIG. 5 , each of the resilient members 13 is mounted between the mid base 22 and a respective one of the locking components 11. Specifically, each of the resilient members 13 has one end that abuts against the respective one of the locking components 11, and the other end that abuts against the mid base for biasing the respective one of the locking components 11 toward the locked position.

It should be noted that, in other embodiments of the disclosure, the child restraint spin lock 1 may include only one resilient member 13 that is mounted to one of the locking components 11. Since the movements of the locking components 11 are synchronized by the pivot component 12, such configuration will provide the same functionality.

The connecting pin 15 is mounted to one of the locking components 11. The linking member 14 is connected to the one of the locking components 11 via the connecting pin 15, and is operable for driving movement of the one of the locking components 11 from the locked position to the unlocked position to result in synchronous movement of the other one of the locking components 11 via the rotation of the pivot component 12 about the axis (X). The linking member 14 is further connected to the operating component 231 of the seat member 23 such that a user may manually actuate the operation of the linking member 14 via the operating component 231.

In the present embodiment, the child restraint spin lock 1 includes only one linking member 14 that is configured as a flexible cable. However, in another embodiment of the disclosure, the child restraint spin lock 1 may include two linking members 14 that are connected to opposite ends of the connecting pin 15, and the linking members 14 may be configured as rigid links.

During operation of the child restraint spin lock 1, in the event that the seat member 23 is originally positioned in the forward facing position where the locking components 11 are engaged with the first lock sections 211 of the base member 12, a user may interact with the operating component 231 to actuate the linking member 14 to move the locking components 11.

When the locking components 11 are moved to the unlocked position with the second end portions 112 being respectively disengaged from the first lock sections 211 of the base member 21, the user is allowed to rotate the seat member 23 (and to co-rotate the mid base 22) to change orientation of the seat member 23. When the seat member 23 is rotated to one of the intermediate positions, the locking components 11 are operable to engage the second end portions 112 respectively with the second lock sections 211′ for positioning the mid base 22 relative to the base member 21 (or to the rear facing position, where the locking components 11 are operable to engage the second end portions 112 respectively with the first lock sections 211 again).

It should be noted that, by virtue of the disposition of the resilient member 13, the user does not need to interact with the operating component 231 to move the locking components 11 from the unlocked position to the locked position. Once the seat member 23 is rotated to any of the rear facing, forward facing and intermediate positions, the resilient member 13 will automatically push the locking components 11 to be engaged with the corresponding first or second lock sections 211, 211′. The above-mentioned process is applicable in rotating the seat member 23 from any of the rear facing, forward facing and intermediate positions to another.

It should also be noted that, in the present embodiment, a total number of the first and second lock sections 211, 211′ is four. However, this number may vary in other embodiments of the disclosure to provide the user more options for positioning the seat member 23, depending on actual needs.

In sum, the present embodiment of the disclosure has advantages as follows.

By virtue of the disposition of the pivot component 12, the movements of the locking components 11 are synchronized in a straightforward fashion via two pivotal connections among the locking components 11 and the pivot component 12, without involving overly complex mechanisms. Such configuration requires less maintenance than that of the prior arts.

Also, compared with a single lock mechanism, the oppositely disposed locking components 11 are able to provide better retention, and are less susceptible to disengagement by crash forces.

Moreover, the present embodiment provides the user the options to position the seat member 23 indifferent orientations for different needs and circumstances.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A child restraint spin lock adapted to be installed in a safety seat of a vehicle, the safety seat including a base member that has two spaced-apart lock sections, and a mid base that is mounted to the base member and that is rotatable relative to the base member about an axis, said child restraint spin lock comprising: two locking components, each locking component being radially slidable and adapted to be co-rotatable with and connected to the mid base, and the two locking components being spaced apart from each other, each of said locking components having a first end portion and a second end portion that are respectively proximate to and distal from the axis, each of said locking components being adapted to be movable relative to the base member between a locked position, where said second end portion of each of said locking components is adapted to be engaged with a respective one of the two spaced-apart lock sections of the base member such that the mid base is not allowed to rotate relative to the base member, and an unlocked position, where said second end portion of each of said locking components is adapted to be disengaged from the respective one of the two spaced-apart lock sections of the base member; and a pivot component adapted to be connected to the mid base, being rotatable relative to the mid base about the axis within a plane, and having two end segments, each of said end segments being pivotally connected to said first end portion of a respective one of said locking components such that movements of said locking components from the locked position to the unlocked position are synchronized by rotation of said pivot component about the axis within the plane; and at least one linking member connected to one of said locking components, said linking member being remote from said pivot component and operable to move said locking component from said locked position to said unlocked position in response to application of a force to said linking member.
 2. The child restraint spin lock as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one resilient member that is mounted between the mid base and said locking components for biasing said locking components toward the locked position.
 3. The child restraint spin lock as claimed in claim 2, wherein said at least one resilient member includes two resilient members, each of said resilient members having one end that abuts against a respective one of said locking components, and the other end that is adapted to abut against the mid base for biasing the respective one of said locking components toward the locked position.
 4. The child restraint spin lock as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one linking member is operable for driving movement of said one of said locking components from the locked position to the unlocked position to result in synchronous movement of the other one of said locking components via said rotation of said pivot component about the axis.
 5. The child restraint spin lock as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one linking member is configured as a flexible cable.
 6. A safety seat including the child restraint seat lock as claimed in claim 1, the safety seat comprising: a seat unit including; the base member that includes the two spaced-apart lock sections being spaced apart from each other, the mid base that is mounted to said base member and that is rotatable relative to said base member about the axis, and a seat member that is mounted atop said mid base and that is co-rotatable with said mid base about the axis, wherein the child restraint spin lock is installed in the seat unit.
 7. The safety seat as claimed in claim 6, wherein said child restraint spin lock further includes at least one resilient members that is mounted between said mid base and said locking components for biasing said locking components toward the locked position.
 8. The safety seat as claimed in claim 7, wherein said at least one resilient member includes two resilient members, each of said resilient members having one end that abuts against a respective one of said locking components, and the other end that abuts against said mid base for biasing the respective one of said locking components toward the locked position.
 9. The safety seat as claimed in claim 6, wherein said child restraint spin lock further includes at least one linking member connected to one of said locking components, and being operable for driving movement of said one of said locking components from the locked position to the unlocked position to result in synchronous movement of the other one of said locking components via said rotation of said pivot component about the axis.
 10. The safety seat as claimed in claim 9, wherein said seat member includes an operating component that is connected to said at least one linking member, that is exposed to the external environment, and that serves as a manual actuator for actuating operation of said at least one linking member.
 11. The safety seat as claimed in claim 6, wherein said at least one linking member is configured as a flexible cable.
 12. The safety seat as claimed in claim 6, wherein: said two spaced-apart lock sections of said base member are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the axis; said locking components are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the axis; and said end segments of said pivot component are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the axis.
 13. The safety seat as claimed in claim 6, wherein: said two spaced-apart lock sections of said base member are configured as slots; and when said locking components are at the locked position, said second end portion of each of said locking components is received in a respective one of said two spaced-apart lock sections of said base member.
 14. The safety seat as claimed in claim 6, wherein: said base member further has two second lock sections that are spaced apart from each other; and when said locking components are at the unlocked position with said second end portions being respectively disengaged from said two spaced-apart lock sections of said base member, said mid base is allowed to rotate to a position where said locking components are operable to engage said second end portions respectively with said second lock sections for positioning said mid base relative to said base member and for changing orientation of said seat member.
 15. A child restraint spin lock adapted to be installed in a safety seat of a vehicle, the safety seat including a base member that has two spaced-apart lock sections, and a mid base that is mounted to the base member and that is rotatable relative to the base member about an axis, said child restraint spin lock comprising: two locking components, each locking component being radially slidable and adapted to be co-rotatable with and connected to the mid base, and the two locking components being spaced apart from each other, each of said locking components having a first end portion and a second end portion that are respectively proximate to and distal from the axis, each of said locking components being adapted to be movable relative to the base member between a locked position, where said second end portion of each of said locking components is adapted to be engaged with a respective one of the two spaced-apart lock sections of the base member such that the mid base is not allowed to rotate relative to the base member, and an unlocked position, where said second end portion of each of said locking components is adapted to be disengaged from the respective one of the two spaced-apart lock sections of the base member; and a pivot component adapted to be connected to and rotatable relative to the mid base, the pivot component having two end segments, each of said end segments being pivotally connected to said first end portion of a respective one of said locking components such that movements of said locking components from the locked position to the unlocked position are synchronized by rotation of said pivot component about the axis within the plane; and at least one linking member connected to one of said locking components, said linking member being operable to apply a force to said locking component at a location offset from said pivot component to move said locking component from said locked position to said unlocked position. 